EurActiv, the leading online media on European Union policies, will be running special coverage, from 21 to 25 February, on the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) review. In the special report, EurActiv journalists will cover the latest issues around the review, looking into the Erasmus for Entrepreneurs programme, SME lending by the European Investment Bank, women entrepreneurship and giving entrepreneurs a second chance.
 
The Small Business Act went into effect two years ago. It had 10 guiding principles, including improving access to finance, drawing up bankruptcy rules to give entrepreneurs a second chance and upgrading skills. Yet the impact so far has been weak, according to business advocates. The European Commission acknowledged in the first draft that progress had been "slow" and "uneven" in member states and Brussels said it was working to create "a credible document which meets the expectations of small and medium enterprises."
 
The Small Business Act is being reviewed because small businesses will play a key role in driving Europe's recovery from the crisis. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – those with 250 or fewer employees – have been hammered by the recession and the credit crunch, and their recovery is equally pivotal for Europe. These SMEs employ more than two thirds of the labour force in Europe and are the primary growth engine of the European economy.
You can follow the Special Report stories here.
 
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